Lazy Day Off at the Beach

It's Friday, (our Saturday) and it is warming up just a bit to the mid to high 70's. We decided to go to the beach after breakfast as we heard music and saw lots of peope in black T-shirts. Today was a benefit called Terry Fox Cancer Awareness Fun Run. It must have started early in the day, we got there at 10 am and the festivities were over. A marching band was playing, and they were giving out free refreshments left over from the runners tables. We took a few pictures of the beach today.

Wake Board take off float for public use

For the next 2 weeks you can do free wakeboarding as this man is doing. They have a cable stretched about 200 meters accross that pulls peopled back and forth.

This yacht was anchored just offshore, earlier the Hull opened up on the port side and 2 jet skis de-boated and off they went around the marina and breakwater at breakneck speeds. Then the hull opened up again and swallowed them up. Art estimates it is about 100 fee in length at least, this is shot with the 12x zoom.

We are apartment hunting, so Art found a website that offers good like new used furniture from all the people who leave the UAE. They have some good appliances like Fridge and Oven (called Cooker) here. There is also bedroom and living room furniture. Quite a lot actually so this place is about 1 block behind our current flat and we visited it briefly, the owner was going off to pray at the moment we arrived, so we will go back in about 2 weeks to see if we can start to furnish our new place when we get it. We have a good furniture allowance, but nevertheless we want to be thrifty as much as we can

Quiet Weekend-Valentines day in bed

Not what it sounds like......trust me, I hurt my back doing "nothing", really I may have twisted wrong or turned wrong, but anyway it hurts like #@$#. Art was kind enough to keep me fed and in pain meds. The few times I got up were regrettable. By this morning (Monday) I am feeling good enough to go to work.

Last week was all work and no play although we did spend some time looking at 'flats' as they call them here. We saw a real nice tower that is almost complete and the 2 bedroom is in our price range the only problem is that it is not within walking distance of the beach. It does have good 360 degree views of the sea in the distance and it is right next to one of the largest shopping malls in town. We are in no rush so we will keep looking for the perfect 2 bedroom. We are working with a realtor "Suzy" that Art loves...(young and beautiful of course) and we have another showing. Agents typically get 10% commission of the annual rent and here u pay the entire years rent at one time up front ! Our allowance is for around $73,000 per year and that only gets us a good 2 bedroom apt or Villa. Not the penthouse, but something pretty decent. The rents here are outrageous and some of the people here only get around $20 - $40K that gets them a barely rentable place that is old, stinky, and in the middle of town with no view. I want a good view for the next 3 years I will be here.
Work is the same, the process here is at least 10 to 15 years behind what I was used to in the USA and I am tasked to bring them up to date in the Patient Financial Services world. I enjoy a challenge and believe me this is pretty challenging. On the good side, I made my initial evaluation of the systems and processes here and documented what I believe we need to succeed and made my first presentation to Senior Management for lots of new staff and processes to 'fix' everything. It was well received and now the tough work begins as I fight to get everything I need to succeed and put it into production....

This week we get our Liquor License and our Drivers License...then we can get a car and some Wine. The driver for the CEO has been here for over 30 years and 'knows' people. Getting the licenses can take weeks, but he gets past the B.S. and by the end of day tomorrow we should be just fine. Perhaps we will get a used car by the weekend. We are learning that around here you 'have to know someone' to get things done. You have to look like you know what you are doing (and even if u don't , u need to look the part) and be assertive.

So...thats it. Goodbye for now

What I learn at dinner

This note is mainly about the wonderful opportunities we have to meet new and interesting people here in Abu Dhabi. We have been to several nights out with people we meet. Last night for instance we had dinner cooked for us by the gentleman who runs another department. He is of Chinese decent, from Canada, another guest was from the Philipines and yet another was from Palestine. We had interesting conversations and learned alot about their cultures. Most interesting was Fred from Palestine. He was actually born in the USA, his parents evidently went back to Palestine and he travels a lot. He tried to visit his parents recently, but they live in Israeli occupied Palestine and the soldiers would not let him in, even with a USA passport. So he had to carry his luggage around and between checkpoints to 'sneak' into the occupied zones..It was much easier to get in, then getting out...his stories were lively, I like him a lot as he 'gets things done', as they say here. One time he commandeered a truck that was driving in the parking lot of the hospital...He stood out in front of the poor driver, waved him down and insisted he load his pharmacy shelving into the truck and take it around to the other side of the large hospital facility and unload it into his retail pharmacy....he said the poor guys were'nt sure what to do, but is waving, and ordering about must have meant to them that he was some kind of authority (he's not), but anyway his stoires are amusing and we laughed a lot. Everyone here has a storey on how they came about to come here and just now Art got home in a taxi driven by a Nepalese driver who has been here only 6 days and did not know his way around. He already had been fined 500 Dhirams (he only makes around 700Dh / month plus tips. So Art tipped him well. All Taxi drivers want to go to America. Many are from Pakistan and 100% of them ALWAYS say "Taliban are bad and just kill people". The Mountain area is unsafe. Taliban must go".... Over and over we hear that from every Pakistani driver.. We don't ask, they just all tell us that once they hear we are Americans.

Yesterday we walked 7.5 Kilometers accross town. We were looking for a 30 story apt. building that was just completed and starting to rent flats. We never found it, got lost (kinda) but eventually found a mall that we had been to before. We had to rest before we took a taxi home. Today Art found the Apt. building way on the other side of the Island from where we were looking, actually just accross the street from the back of the hospital. We were so close all the time...Oh well, we all know how directionally challenged I am. It is a beautiful place, brand new and renting now. Tomorrow we will go have a look inside. They become available at the end of March and Early April . 30 stories, sea views from some, adjacent to a large shopping center and supermarket and liquor store and near a multitued of ethnic food establishments. And 1 block from the back of the hospital I work at. Art still does not have a job, he will apply at 2 other places tomorrow, my hospital still has not made him an offer after 4 interviews, we are not sure why....but there are several places here in Abu Dhabi for him to work. In the mean time he is a 'kept man'.!!!!. Here is a pic of the apts we are looking at, not a very good picture, but you get the idea. This was taken in August. They are almost done now, working on the interiors and finishing touches.

The Balloon Ride that didn't happen !

Woke up this morning (Friday) and discovered that the town has been swept up in a desert sandstorm. Not quite as bad as the one depicted in this picture, but you get a good understanding of what a desert blow can look like in a matter of minutes. The balloon company called the group leader late last night to call off the trip due to forcasted high winds and rain (a rarity for rain). So instead of getting high up on the balloon, we had a breakfast brunch instead. About 12 folks showed up and at least 12 bottles of champagne were consumed along with a lot of local flavors..An Eastman Inn Quiche, Indian Breakfast, dates, fruit and of course bacon and eggs. A good substitute for the balloon ride...although the headache will soon be arriving I am sure !!!

Dune Bashing, Camel Rides, Belly Dancing

This was our young driver who drove us up and down and around many tall tall dunes. We went down sideways sometimes and we thought we were going to turn over. He kept on trying to pick up on our young friend who was riding in the back seat. I wished he would keep his eyes on the dunes and not her.

This was my camel and he was pretty grumpy. Art tried to get on also but he would not get up with Art's weight. So I rode him alone. It was fun.

Art with a young camel we came accross in the desert. There was a herd of females that they use for milking out being walked and fed by their herders that morning

She was a friendly gal and once I started petting her, she followed me around. In the background are other people who went with us. Our group consisted of 8 people from the Hospital where I work

This is dune bashing, notice him coming down sideway on that steep hill, some hills were taller and steeper. The sand here is kind of red and VERY fine, when you walk, you sink in deep when going down a dune. However when walking on flat surfaces it is very firm. All in all it was quite fun. When the sun set we went to an area where they had tables set up for dinner under the stars, then a belly dancer. Art really enjoyed that part and I will not post those pictures.

Next week we are going Ballooning over the desert in the morning. That too should be an adventure. Stay tuned